‘Unless you’re Fábio’: HSV captain makes exception for Vieira | OneFootball

If HSV had received one euro every time the name Fábio Vieira came up, the club could probably have paid the 18 million euros demanded by Arsenal out of petty cash by now.

That is because the Portuguese player’s future continues to be the clearly dominant transfer topic surrounding HSV. Vieira himself is determined to make a permanent move to Hamburg, but Arsenal’s and HSV’s expectations regarding the transfer fee are still far apart. So an agreement between the clubs is currently nowhere in sight.

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old remains a topic in the HSV dressing room as well. That became especially clear after the 2:2 draw against OSC Lille. Nicolai Remberg spoke after the grueling 135-minute test about the importance of intensity in HSV’s game — and made one notable exception. “I always say, if you’re not intense, you can’t play for us,” Remberg explained at first. Then the captain grinned and added: “Unless you’re Fábio Vieira. He can do whatever he wants.”

HSV stars are still in contact with Vieira

A perfect setup for fresh rumors? Remberg himself immediately tried to rein that impression back in. Asked whether he had spoken with Vieira recently, he replied: “No, not at all, that was just a joke. I don’t want to start any speculation.” Rather, it had simply come to mind “that intensity is just the top priority for us.”

Photo: IMAGO

At the same time, it became clear why Vieira is still present in the minds of HSV’s professionals. “He has that kind of quality where you sometimes run more for him,” Remberg said about his former teammate. And in fact, the team still occasionally talks about the elegant left-footed technician. About three weeks ago, Remberg himself had already revealed on “Spieltagssiegerbesieger – Der Kickbase Podcast”: “People do talk about it from time to time, but I think that’s just normal because players are still in contact with him.”

Despite all the sympathy, however, the squad is not influencing the negotiations. “It’s not like we call him and say: Are you coming?” Remberg made clear at the time. Even so, the longing to play alongside the fan favorite again still seems very much alive within the HSV squad.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.